Today’s event is a little different from the others. Rather than hosting a live author, the Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria is today the setting for the first edition of the series “La Parte dei Critici”, a journey through the relevance of literary criticism today. It is a unique chance offered by Festivaletteratura in the last three years. This series is designed to bring people closer to literary criticism and to cut through the marketing hype surrounding today’s literary market. However, it is important to remember that although formal criticism does not always reach a wide audience, it provides invaluable insights that enrich the general engagement with literature and challenges prevailing perspectives.

Writers Tim Parks and Vincenzo Latronico used this first event to explore the work of Umberto Eco, the author that defined the concept of postmodern fiction in Italy. They make the point that that Eco went to great lengths to impose his vision of fiction, taking James Joyce as a stylistic example. However, Eco never used Joyce’s style. Parks highlights the author's contradictions with a colloquial approach, almost that of a high-school Italian literature teacher. Eco’s works are characterised by their intricate exploration of semiotics and narrative structure.

However, the final moments of the event are spent reflecting on the complicated relationship Eco tried to create with his readers. He tries hard to show off, to demonstrate his deep and wide knowledge to other authors and the audience. This technique has earned him both admiration and indifference. What is the best option in the long run?

Parks is sure: Eco used to say that the only way to die peacefully is to assume that all the people around you are “idiots”. Eco surely died peacefully.